World News: OnPolitics Today: Of walls and woes

with Jessica Estepa

OnPolitics Today: Of walls and woes

It's Tuesday, OP friends, and we still have Easter-week brain, so we're keeping the intro short today. Keep up with the latest, subscribe here and let's go.

No wall? No worries: There are always troops

President Trump really, really wants a wall.

But in the meantime, he could always send troops to the U.S.-Mexico border.

The president said Tuesday that he'd spoken with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis about the possibility.

"Until we can have a wall and proper security, we're going to be guarding our border with the military ... that's a big step," he told reporters. In Trump-esque fashion, he didn't elaborate on plans.

Trump has appeared to be more keen to use military resources for the border. In recent weeks, the president has pushed for the military to dedicate some of its own funding to the construction of the wall.

Pruitt's woes

We'd be remiss not to recount the latest ethical problem surrounding EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. Pruitt, who has made headlines for his penchant for first class flights, has recently come under scrutiny for a rent deal he made with the wife of an energy lobbyist. The deal in question allowed Pruitt to pay $50 a night for a room in a Capitol Hill condo. And he only had to pay for the nights that he stayed at the apartment. The EPA ethics office retroactively declared that the deal was fine, after news reports surfaced about it.

So, the latest: Democratic lawmakers on Tuesday called for the inspector general to investigate the rent deal. They also want the IG to look into the ethics opinion about the deal.

In their words: "The unusual, short-term sweetheart deal that Administrator Pruitt received from Mr. and Mrs. Hart was not just far below market rate, the terms were so skewed in Pruitt's favor that such a lease doesn't even exist on the market for an ordinary citizen."

Elsewhere in politics

•	Lawyer connected to Russia election interference investigation receives 30-day sentence
•	Trump to Baltics: I've been tough on Russia, but want better relations
•	From jokester to 'maverick,' John McCain is a study in contradictions
•	Trump still wants 'to get out' of Syria, but not before ISIS is defeated
•	Ted Cruz challenger Beto O'Rourke announces $6.7 million haul